211 Counts
Real-time, searchable, visual snapshots of community need — built from real 2-1-1 call data across Alabama and the nation.
Turning calls into community insight
Each year, 16 million people in the United States dial 2-1-1 for help with basic needs like food and shelter or for emergency services. 2-1-1 Counts is the first tool to provide real-time, searchable and visual presentations of data from 2-1-1 call centers across the nation.
You’ll find a snapshot of community-specific needs displayed by ZIP code, region or call center — as recently as yesterday — so you can check trends, make comparisons and share information. 2-1-1 Counts works with your local 2-1-1 to share this with community leaders and service agencies.
The tool was created by the Health Communication Research Laboratory at Washington University in St. Louis, and is developed, supported and distributed by Health Communication Impact, LLC. Launched in 2014 with help from the William R. Kenan Jr. Charitable Trust, its dashboards are used to write grants, build reports and show evidence of community need. Primary audiences include government representatives, service agencies and philanthropies.
Explore Alabama’s dashboardFrom a phone call to a data point
Calls come in
2-1-1 call centers handle millions of requests for food, shelter, health, and more every year.
Data is aggregated
Centers provide aggregated, non-identifying data to 2-1-1 Counts, which tracks and summarizes needs.
Communities see need
Results appear as searchable maps and charts by ZIP, county, district or region — as recent as yesterday.
Understanding 211 Counts
How is the data collected?
Across the U.S., 2-1-1 call centers handle millions of calls every year. Call centers provide aggregated data about those calls to 2-1-1 Counts, which systematically tracks and summarizes callers’ needs.
What does “Total Calls” mean?
“Total Calls” and “Total Service Requests,” shown across the top of the dashboard, reflect all calls and service requests to the call center during the selected time range and geographic area. One caller may request more than one service.
Does 2-1-1 Counts track all of those calls?
2-1-1 Counts offers data about the top requests — the most important basic needs of callers, such as food, shelter and clothing. Most remaining requests are displayed in additional categories or in “Other.”
Can I get more specific data?
Yes. Clicking on a category lets you view its subcategories and their percentage or total count of calls.
Can I display the data by location?
Yes. Data from each call center can be shown by ZIP Code, County, Congressional district, state House district, state Senate district and region. The location you select appears on the map below; choose “all” to group them and hover over each area for its data.
How are locations and their data determined?
U.S. Census maps are used for all locations except “region” — a group of ZIP codes served by a call center. Request data are collected per Census ZIP code and assigned to one location in each grouping to avoid duplication; a ZIP spanning multiple areas is assigned to the one containing its geographic center.
What do the colors on the map indicate?
The rate of a particular call type is expressed per 1,000 adults living in that ZIP code. Each ZIP is colored to reflect a “high,” “intermediate” or “low” call rate compared with others in its region. Viewing “all” regions shows comparative rates across a call center.
Is other community information displayed?
Yes. U.S. Census data on population, poverty, unemployment, rental housing and education can be viewed.
How far back does the data go?
It varies by call center. Data from some centers is available as early as 2013. Use the custom date field to display it.
How can I learn more about using 2-1-1 Counts?
A series of video tutorials is available at youtube.211counts.org or by clicking the red arrow at the bottom of the dashboard.
How can I share the dashboard?
Links to social media and other sharing options are displayed in a column on the left side of the dashboard.
Why is a category count different from the total of its subcategories?
Coding procedures differ between call centers. Some code a request broadly (e.g., “utilities”) while others code more specifically (e.g., “electric”). “Electric” fits a 2-1-1 Counts subcategory while “utilities” may not.